Week of December 19, 2011

The Williams School works with each child to build an enduring foundation for academic, moral, and social success. Williams School students embody integrity, confidence, discipline, and a love of learning.
Honor before Honors

Dear Williams School Families, Yet another successful day at The Williams School the preparations for the day started well before sunrise as Chef Perez began deep frying turkeys for the holiday feast. The school day started with Amy Lindgren and SCA students setting up and arranging tables for the feast in the MPR, Linda Ungvarsky added the centerpiece touches and student made placemats. Shortly before 9:00 am students were on their way to the final rehearsal at the church. Once at rehearsal, students and teachers worked together to iron out last minute details and to run through the program one more time. Practice was over at 10:50 and students and teachers rushed back to school for the holiday feast. While students and teachers were at the morning rehearsal, Chef Perez, Chris Cooper, Julianne Casey, and a host of volunteers transformed the kindergarten room into a buffet of sorts where parents would plate the food and students would deliver the food to tables. True to our commitment to our Zero Waste initiative, we served our feast on dinner plates. After retrieving used dinner plates from the tables, students would then sort the waste and turn over the dirty plates to a team of parents who then rinsed them. Certainly not the most glamorous volunteer job but definitely one of the most appreciated. After it was all said and done about 248 people were served during our feast just before our students were dismissed at 1:00 pm. But wait, throughout the day parents delivered cookies and sweets to the main office and to the library for the cookie reception that would follow the carol service. after the students were dismissed it was on to the next event, the alumni reunion. Harper Lea (93), Meredith Lauter and Chris Cooper led the charge to ready the MPR to receive our alumni. We had about 40 alumni attend our reunion, even one from 1977 who remarked, Just being in the building brings back so many good memories. We used to have our assemblies right here on the front stairway. It seems that the older our former students get, the more likely they come back not only to see their classmates and teachers, but to reminisce about their time here at Williams while walking throughout the school. at 4:00 Wendy Auerbach and Yvonne Stuart (Andrew07, Lizzy 09) and another host of parent volunteers arrived to help students don their carol robes. I saw Cindy Etter sitting at the round table in the quad area helping with last minute alterations. Students were dressed by 4:40 and again volunteers and teachers jumped in to assemble the candles that the students would carry during the procession. Even more people were behind the scenes setting up the MPR (for the 3rd time) and the Library for the cookie reception that would follow the carol service. But wait, the cameras that would eventually film the carol service were also filming the preparations. the procession began with the sounds of our trumpeters and drummer, and a silence fell over all of the students as they made their way to the church. The performance of our students was truly a testament of our commitment to our students. The gathering of family, alumni, neighbors and two of our retired Heads of School Joan Williams Graham, daughter of our founder and Headmistress from 1969 to 1981, and Dr. Frederic R. Walker, Headmaster from 1981 to 1995, and our future Head of School, Mike Spencer - is evidence of our rich heritage of caring that brings us all together during the holiday season. Our Carol Service Performance was once again a grand success! The collaboration of many assured the success of the day. Thank you! Happy Holidays Melanie

THIS WEEK Monday, December 19th Camp Williams Available 8:30-5:30 Tuesday, December 20th Camp Williams Available 8:30-5:30 Hanukkah begins at Sunset Winter Break, December 16th- January 2nd School Resumes Tuesday, January 3rd NEXT WEEK (Happy New Year!) Tuesday, January 3rd School Resumes Girls BB Gold Practice 3:30-5:00 PM Wednesday, January 4th Girls BB Blue Practice @ Park Place 3:30-5:00 PM Boys BB Blue Practice @ Park Place 3:30-5:00 PM Girls BB Gold Team vs. Torah @ Salvation Army 4:00 PM Boys BB Gold Team vs. Torah @ Salvation Army 5:00 PM Thursday, January 5th Friday, January 6th Sunday, January 8th K-8 Admissions Open House 1-4 PM

Open House Sunday, January 8, 2012 - 1:00 4:00 PM Our admissions open house is a time when we introduce our school to new families. We are fortunate that in general we have quite a few more applicants than spaces, but we are always interested in meeting families you think will benefit by being part of Williams.

LOOKING AHEAD Monday, January 9th Girls BB Blue Practice 3:30-5:00 PM Boys BB Blue Practice 3:30-5:00 PM Tuesday, January 10th Girls BB Blue Team vs./@ Alliance Christian 4:15 PM Boys BB Blue Team vs./@ Alliance Christian 5:15 PM Boys BB Gold Team vs./@ Alliance Christian 6:15 PM Wednesday, January 11th Girls BB Gold Team vs./@ CBA 4:30 PM Boys BB Gold Team vs./@ CBA 5:30 PM Thursday, January 12th Friday, January 13th

Keeping Williams Green

Kindergarten is recycling Crayons if you have any crayons that you would like to recycle, please drop them by the kindergarten room. First Grade is collecting batteries to recycle the bins are next to the wooden book deposit box in the quad. Please send in your batteries. Mrs. Adams recycles laser and inkjet cartridges and old cell phones. bins are located in the main area of the 419 building on the sideboard next to the stairs.

Congratulations to Taylor!
At the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in Portsmouth, Taylor was awarded the Student Athlete Achievement Award. This award recognizes the student athletes who are the best at being dedicated to their sport, or in most cases, sports, while also being exceptional in the classroom and in the community. Over three hundred applications were submitted and 16 finalists were chosen. Taylor was selected as the winner for the Middle School boys category.

Congratulations to our 7th & 8th grade Forensics Team who took first
place in the Forensic competition that took place at Norfolk Collegiate . Members of the team put a lot of time and effort into preparing for this event. They practiced during breaks, homeroom and even resource classes. Including Williams, five schools were represented at the competition: Norfolk Academy, Norfolk Collegiate, Cape Henry Collegiate and Friends. Students were recognized during the assembly this morning. Our place winners were: Girls Original Oratory Ashley Second Place Girls Prose Reading Anna Second Place Caroline Third Place Girls Poetry Reading Allie First Place Girls Storytelling Clara Second Place Carli Third Place

Boys Original Oratory Kyle First Place Sam Second Place Boys Prose Reading Jackson First Place Boys Poetry Reading Justin First Place Aidan M Second Place Boys Storytelling Gabe First Place

The Lyric Opera Virginia invites you to attend The King and I student night on Thursday, January 5 at 7:30 PM at The Sandler Center for Performing Arts. Please come and see Olivia & Madeleine and Jessica, Davis & Ashley perform in the show. Tickets are $10.00 for students on this night.

_______(Quantity) 1 DVD for $20 or multiple DVDs for $15 each

Last of the Three Cities Cocktail Parties

Home of Mike & LeAnne Benedetto January 14, 2012 The Benedettos invite you to join them for cocktails! As a part of our Auction 2011, we invite you to join us at the home of Mike and Leanne Benedetto. Start the new year off right with a Bahama-themed party on January 14, 2012 with Mike and LeAnne Benedetto at their home in Virginia Beach. (You're welcome to take a polar plunge into Broad Bay if the Bahama heat leaves you feeling a bit warm.) The price for this fun party is $70.00 per couple. To join the festivities, please contact Chris Cooper at ccooper@thewilliamsschool.org. All proceeds benefit TWS!

CAMP WILLIAMS $45.00 per day No School Winter Holiday Led By Sally Marr and Janice Ford Fees, lunch and snack are included. 8:30am-5:30pm* Outdoor activities are, of course, dependent on the weather! Please make checks payable to Sally Marr.

Monday, December 19, 2011 Holidays in the City of Virginia Beach Walk the Boardwalk to see the lights, Pinboys at the Beach bowling with lunch and a trip to Kids Cove in the afternoon and a special snack We will leave school 9:15 a.m. and return to school by 4:00pm. Tuesday, December 20, 2011 Holidays in the City of Norfolk Virginia Zoo Lunch on the town - Dollar Store Chrysler Museum- Animals in Art Fun time back at school We will leave school 9:45 a.m. and return to school by 4:00pm. -*Reservations are required, by calling 627-1383 x241. Minimum 8 students - maximum 20, per day. The minimum of 8 reservations must be received by 10:00 a.m., Friday, 12/11/09 at 3:00pm. If the minimum enrollment of 8 is not reached by the above deadline, the following sliding scale applies per child if 3- 7 children are enrolled: 3 children - $95.00, 4 children - $75.00, 5 children - $60.00, 6 children $55.00, 7 children - $50.00. -All fees are included for any off campus field trips, crafts, lunch, and snack. -By enrolling your child in Camp Williams, you are giving your permission for your child to attend the listed on and off campus activities. -Camp Williams staff may be reached on the Extended Day cell phone, 237-1875 or on Sally Marrs cell phone, 287-6488 at all times during the day. -Please let us know if you will not be able to drop your child off by departure time, as there is no available care for your child at school. *We will have early drop off at 7:30am for $5.00, extra. Reservations required.